Discovering my happy place in water

Amanda Tomlinson at the Pavilion Dive Center at Jumeirah Beach Hotel. Christopher Pike / The National

I have always felt very comfortable in water. In Australia, my home country, water safety is taken very seriously and we are taught how to swim from a young age. Even throughout our 12 years of formal education, swimming is scheduled once a week during the summer as part of the curriculum.

I loved the swimming sessions when I was growing up. Being in the water made me happy and I could spend hours on end floating, diving and splashing around. Funnily enough, when the swimming session was over, I always craved chocolate cake.

I had the good fortune to grow up with the Great Barrier Reef on my doorstep and I learnt to snorkel from a young age. I was very comfortable swimming above the reef, exploring this amazing marine park. I used to tell myself that when I was older, I would go beneath the surface and explore some more.

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Unfortunately, as I got older and life’s obligations took over, I spent less time in the water. I used my failing eyesight as an excuse not to scuba-dive. After all, what’s the point when you can’t see what you’re looking at?

But right before I left Australia, bound for London in 2006, I had laser surgery to correct my vision. One of the first things I did was go scuba-diving off an island near my hometown on the Central Queensland coast. It was hard at first and my brain struggled to comprehend that I could breathe underwater. I was thankful for my friend’s calm manner during our lesson and his presence helped to alleviate my nerves.

After moving to London, I thought my scuba-diving would be put on hold, but I was offered the opportunity to get my Padi Open Water certificate in the south of France – in a little town called Juan-les-Pins, near Cannes.

The first day was freezing – it was the middle of May and the water was about 16°C. My dive instructor gave me two wetsuits to wear to help keep me warm, but all it did was make me buoyant.

We rolled into the choppy water and started our descent. Visibility wasn’t great and the scenery was no Great Barrier Reef, but as we went through the exercise drills, my instructor pointed out interesting objects, including an underwater film set that was built in the 1960s, featuring a Roman amphitheatre and a fort, but which is mostly in ruins now.

Afterwards, we sat in a coffee shop recapping the day’s diving. I was completely chilled out, calm and blissful, and to my surprise, I felt like eating chocolate cake.

I have scuba-dived many times since then – and have even committed to advancing my skills this year. At the end of each dive, I always take note of the feeling I have and usually, it’s total peace and happiness (with or without the chocolate cake).